Category: Art
Dew On A Spiders Silk. A Thirty Second Meditation
Making Zip Potholders
I only got to my studio once last week. But I found I couldn’t work. I wasn’t ready. So instead I cleaned it up. I put away the fabric left on my worktable from making my Raven quilt. I swept the floor and emptied the trash.
But by Saturday I needed to do some work. It’s one of the ways I come back to myself. And I knew just what I wanted to do.
I already had a drawing that I’d made two weeks ago. It was inspired by the photo I took of Zip peeking under the barn door, just after we let him out of the crate.
Now I just had to translate it using my sewing machine, fabric and paint.
First I did all the stitching except his whiskers.
I used permanent marker to fill in and highlight his pupils.
Then came the paint. That part was more fun than I expected.
I had to wait a day for it to dry before I could add the whiskers. This morning I ironed the painted part, which sets the paint and makes it permanent. Now it can be washed in cold water.
Then I stitched the whiskers.
I made ten in all. A few are already spoken for, but once I finish making them into actual Potholders, I’ll be selling them in my Etsy Shop. They will be $30 + $5 shipping. I think they might be popular as Christmas gifts, so I can see making more.
Unlocked…Raven Brings Light
Unlocked
Good Monday Morning From Bedlam Farm 9/25/23
Suzy’s “Shawl Of Smiles For Sale”
When Suzy sent me the picture of her latest Shawl I found myself smiling.
“This one makes me smile. I have always enjoyed my Chartreuse.” Suzy texted me. When I showed it to Jon, he had the same reaction.
That’s how it came to be the “Shawl of Smiles.”
It’s a colorful delight. Sure to warm a person in two ways this coming winter. First with its soft handspun mohair, then with the way it will bring so much color and brightness to whoever wears it.
As you all probably already know each of Suzy’s shawls is a unique piece of wearable art. Below is a photo of her angora goats, where she gets the mohair that she hand spins, then hand knits into one of her creations.
We’ve already sold four of Suzy’s shawls in the past few weeks. They are very popular and she has many repeat buyers.
When I used to sell Suzy’s Shawls at the Bedlam Farm Open Houses, it was always such a thrill to open the box she sent them in. To see Suzy’s own particular way of combining colors and textures. And to feel the soft yarn brush against the backs of my hands.
You can click here to see a video of Suzy spinning her mohair. It’s only one part of her creative process that begins with caring for her goats, Lucy, Ruth, Alice and Apirl.
Suzy’s Shawl of Smiles is 18″ x 67″ and is $175 + $15 shipping. You can buy it in my Etsy Shop, just click here. Or you can email me at [email protected]. I take checks, PayPal and Venmo.
My Raven Quilt, Sue’s Watch and The Blue Jay
I was sewing that strip of blue with the flowers onto my Raven quilt when out of the corner of my eye I saw shades of blue and bright white. It was two Blue Jay, hopping from one branch to another in the green of the lilac bush outside my studio window.
All that blue in all that green.
Blue Jays come to the feeder outside my window in the winter, but I’ve never seen them in the Lilacs this time of year.
Yet, I wasn’t surprised the Blue Jays visited me while working on my Raven Quilt. Because of the story that Sue, who is buying my Raven quilt, told me….
Years ago I owned a horse farm and you know all the activities related to that. Well one day I was bush hogging the back of the acreage and realized when I was finished that I had lost my watch! I looked everywhere for it and could not find it. It bothered me terribly because I am not one to lose things.
Several days later I was leaning on the fence to one of the paddocks talking with one of my horses. In the tree next to me I heard loud squawking. I looked up and there was a blue jay in the sun. He took flight and dropped my watch right in front of me! I was so astounded. It had a piece of grass stuck in it and it was still working. The jay circled around and then landed back in the tree, all proud of himself. It was just shocking. So I thanked him and told him how much it meant to have it back. That day is burnished in my memory forever. It began my love affair with Corvids.
When I read Sue’s story of the Blue Jay returning her watch, I got chills. I knew the quilt was meant for her.
I finished my Raven Quilt today.
Suzy’s “Shawl Of Smiles” For Sale
When Suzy sent me the picture of her latest Shawl I found myself smiling.
“This one makes me smile. I have always enjoyed my Chartreuse.” Suzy texted me. When I showed it to Jon, he had the same reaction.
That’s how it came to be the “Shawl of Smiles.”
It’s a colorful delight. Sure to warm a person in two ways this coming winter. First with its soft handspun mohair, then with the way it will bring so much color and brightness to whoever wears it.
As you all probably already know each of Suzy’s shawls is a unique piece of wearable art. Below is a photo of her angora goats, where she gets the mohair that she hand spins, then hand knits into one of her creations.
We’ve already sold four of Suzy’s shawls in the past few weeks. They are very popular and she has many repeat buyers.
When I used to sell Suzy’s Shawls at the Bedlam Farm Open Houses, it was always such a thrill to open the box she sent them in. To see Suzy’s own particular way of combining colors and textures. And to feel the soft yarn brush against the backs of my hands.
You can click here to see a video of Suzy spinning her mohair. It’s only one part of her creative process that begins with caring for her goats, Lucy, Ruth, Alice and Apirl.
Suzy’s Shawl of Smiles is 18″ x 67″ and is $175 + $15 shipping. You can buy it in my Etsy Shop, just click here. Or you can email me at [email protected]. I take checks, PayPal and Venmo.
This Mornings Spider Webs
Like invisible ink, the spider’s silks and webs are revealed with the morning dew. At just the right angle to the rising sun, they quiver and sparkle, drawings in the air.
These were two spider webs that made me stop to take their pictures.
The video was the best way to show the delicacy and strength of the thistle bud swing. And hopefully, you can see the miniature scale of the web pulling at the tips of the maple leaf.
